California could be first to require ski helmets for kids

July 16, 2010

A bill that would require anyone under 18 to wear a helmet while skiing or snowboarding passed the California State Senate and is heading for the Assembly. [Ventura County Star]

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) would make California the first state to require safety headgear on the slopes.

Studies by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission show head injuries represent 14 percent of all ski and snowboarder accidents, and more than half of the deaths on the slopes each year are due to head injuries.

The percentage of serious injuries has increased significantly along with the rising popularity of high-speed runs, jumps and acrobatics on the slopes. The study estimates more than 7,000 head and brain injuries could be prevented each year through helmets.

The bill is modeled after the law currently requiring children to wear helmets while riding bicycles, scooters, and skateboards. Parents would be fined $25 if their children skied without a helmet.

The Assembly is expected to vote on the proposal before adjourning at the end of August.

8 Comments

we have laws for children wearing helmets while riding bikes , i’m guessing it would be enforced about the same way . i’d rather be a parent that has to pay/rent a helmet for my child than risk maybe a major injury to my child . as far as your tax dollars go , think of the money you’ll be saving on unpaid ER bills and mental and physical programs for children with head injuries .

A helmet does not guarantee you won’t bust your head open. The point is, do we really need to regulate everything in our lives with government? These kinds of laws do guarantee one thing, the furtherance and growth of our government bureaucracy which is too big and expensive already.
I have an idea, how about requiring kids to wear scuba gear while swimming to prevent drowning or only wearing earphones or texting while seated in one place.

…Or how about hiring more Police to make sure kids chew their food to prevent choking, brush their teeth to prevent tooth decay, and eat right so they don’t grow up fat. Can’t accrue unpaid medical costs for these things…

WOW you have a real hard on about this helmet law ! but i’m starting to come around to your way of thinking . i’m not a fan of seat belts , i think we should do way with them . the EPA sucks too , we don’t need someone telling my toy and construction company to keep toxic materials out of my life or how clean my drinking water should be . in fact , if we did away with all laws we could save so much money on police , we could all carry guns (women and children too ) and if you don’t like my stance on child helmet laws then you could just kill me …. unless i kill you first .

Even though I agree with wearing helmets, I wear one myself; I don’t agree with another law. Who would enforce this one anyway? Are we gonna have to start paying Deputy Sheriffs to Ski and snowboard now? I would like to see that uniform! Come on. This is just another knee jerk reaction from an idea some legislator came up with because he needs to stay busy proposing dumb laws to keep his job. Another law to protect our self from ourselves is the last thing we need.